Answer
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
Dr. Yasir Qadhi argues that current Islamophobia is a funded campaign designed to distract from the situation in Gaza. He asserts that there is no conflict between being a Muslim and a citizen, noting that Muslims have been part of the country’s history since its inception.
In response to this question, Dr. Yasir Qadhi — the Dean of The Islamic Seminary of America and the resident scholar at the East Plano Islamic Center — states:
So this is a very, very important question and it is one that our youth have to struggle with. There is a concerted campaign that is happening across the country—politicians, senators, even indirectly from the White House, as you know, and across social media, there is a concerted campaign.
Now, I need you to understand this campaign is not random; it is linked to what is happening in Gaza and it is being used as a tactic to divert attention away from the reality.
Now that slowly but surely the media is being allowed in, now that we’re seeing the aftermath, now that we see that an entire city, an entire land has been laid to rubble and now the death tolls are coming out—150,000, 200,000—what is the tactic?
How are they gonna bring attention away? They create a controversy out of nothing.
They literally create a controversy and they make an entire islamophobic campaign and “Muslims are here” and “this and that.”
You’re the ones committing the genocide, you’re the ones killing 100,000 people, and now you want to call us that we are some type of “fifth column,” some type of, you know, “Muslims don’t belong here,” etcetera etcetera.
So understand this is a campaign that is being funded by the same people that are funding the genocide. The same mentality—it’s not coming out of thin air. Therefore, as I have been telling you for the last two years, this Islamophobia is linked to the Ummah situation and the reality of Gaza. We cannot just remain passive in this regard and we must make our voices heard.
Much can be said, but because this is a long Q&A, first and foremost, first and foremost: Muslims understand our religion, our Shari`ah, does not have any conflict with us living in this land.
If you feel this way, then honestly—I’m trying to be respectful—but then you should not be living here if you really feel this way. That’s fine, I’m not saying it is obligatory, but then you are causing problems for the rest of us if you’re gonna say things that can be used by the far right, if you’re gonna say things that the majority of us don’t believe. “Oh I cannot, don’t wanna be in this country”—then why are you in this country?
I was born here, I have no plans of leaving, and I will publicly and vocally criticize my own country when it deserves to, and I will praise it when it deserves to.
So there’s no conflict for me. My Islamic identity is not at all infringed, even if there are aspects of my country that I’m very irritated at and there are aspects that I am grateful for.
So this is the reality: if you feel otherwise, then you have to ask yourself, what then are you doing here? If you really believe that it is sinful to live in this land, I am not saying you’re right or wrong, I am simply saying then why are you here?
Just a simple question. I’m not even saying you’re right or wrong; I’m saying why are you here? I believe if I wish to remain in this land, it is completely permissible as long as I try my best to speak the truth, as long as I make my conscience clear, and as long as I’m able to practice my religion and pass it down to my children. And I believe that that is happening inshallah.
So if you do believe like I believe—that yes, it is completely permissible and there’s no conflict of identity—then what do you say to the far right that says, “Oh you guys want to overthrow the country, you guys are following Shari`ah law, this and that”? We say a number of things:
First and foremost, Muslims have been a part of this land since the very beginning of this land. There were Muslims here before the USA became the USA. We have documented reports of people that came to these lands as Muslims before 1776, and in 1776, and after 1776.
And the slave trade that existed—20 to 25% of those that were forcibly brought here were Muslims. We have documented evidence of people praying, fasting Ramadan in the 1700s, 1800s. So you can say whatever you want; Islam has been a part of this land for the last four centuries and nothing can change that.
No. 2, that let’s be fair to its own constitution: the constitution of this country guarantees freedom of religion. So anybody who says that Muslims don’t belong here, we say to them: you are not following your own constitution. As long as all faiths abide by the law, as long as they abide by the law, they are allowed to be a part of this land. And we are taxpayers and we are obeying the law. Every faith has the right to be here.
Now if somebody says to us, “Oh which one is more important to you, your God or your country?” do not ever be embarrassed, do not ever hesitate to stand up with pride and say: that question is unethical, immoral, and absurd.
What faith-based person would ever say that a country is more important than a God? Would any Christian say that Jesus Christ is less important than a country? This is an absurd question.
There is no ambiguity that if you force me to choose, I am a Muslim first and foremost, and my God deserves unconditional loyalty and everything else is conditional loyalty.
It’s an absurd question you’re asking me; this question, go ask a Catholic, go ask a Protestant, go ask any faith-based person. America is not a God; America is a nation-state. It was founded in 1776 and like all countries, like all countries, there is no country that is eternal.
All countries rise and fall, and we wish the best for every country, but no country is God. So don’t ask me to choose between a God and between a nation-state. And I say this question goes against the spirit of this country.
The country was not founded to make a quiz, make an interrogation: “choose between your religion and between your country.”
So push back at the question. Do not be intimidated by giving the correct answer, and the correct answer is: I am Muslim first and foremost, every other identity is conditional. And if you change the Constitution and you say everyone living here must consider the country first and then the religion, then apply it to every other faith tradition. Apply it to every faith tradition and then we also will be applied to, and then without a doubt, we will choose our God over every nation-state.
But we say as long as you abide by the constitution of this land, so are we, and we are not asking to choose. I am a Muslim and I’m worshipping my God according to my faith and I’m obeying the laws of the land.
So we push back. The American identity from the beginning was not supposed to be an identity of faith; it was not. This is very clear. And then we can say here as for the racial identity: well factually speaking, maybe in 1776 they thought only one race was American, but as you know slowly but surely that changed over the course of the next century and now the default is that America is not a racial identity.
And if that is the case, then it should apply to people of all races. And we do say that America, out of all the countries in the world, really is a unique country. And I say this as somebody who’s visited almost 70 countries now, subhanallah, and I say this factually.
Dear brothers, dear sisters, the fact that you cannot deny that this country, yes it has some negatives about foreign policy, about this and that, but it has a lot of positives. Hardly any other country in the world can a foreigner come and migrate and take on citizenship and then contribute and then rise up socially, economically, and be given chances to be a part of this country.
There really is a lot of positive, so if you want to retain that positive, you have to fight for that identity. Push back at this ridiculous notion that if you’re Muslim you cannot be in America.
Simple response is that Muslims have always been in this land and this is what makes this country different—that it wants people of diversity to come and we will be here. And factually speaking, Muslims are contributing at every single level.
The statistic given of 10% of healthcare workers being Muslim constantly being, you know, mentioned—10% of healthcare workers are Muslim—that’s not a trivial percentage. We are working here, living here, paying taxes here, and we shall remain here.
This small group of arrogant, hate-filled, you know, xenophobic anti-Muslim bigots—don’t be intimidated by them. They are hate-filled and here’s the point: they’re trying to cover up for the genocide of Gaza. That’s their real goal. It’s not even—the irony—their main goal isn’t even they hate you; their main goal is they wanna cover up Gaza genocide. So don’t be intimidated and push back and affirm your identity.
And bit by bit inshallah—and by the way the reality is they’re losing. Look at New York, look at New York: the largest congregation of people of a Jewish background in the whole world outside of Israel are in New York. And a person who claims to be Muslim ran for mayor and he won with a landslide victory.
This shows you that Zionism, which is what we’re against—we have no problem with Judaism and Christianity—Zionism is failing in New York. It is failing. If it’s failing in New York—and this is terrifying the older generation because the younger generation of Zionists born in Zionist families are abandoning Zionism.
More than 30% of Jewish New Yorkers voted for the Muslim candidate; that means they’re anti-Zionist. Do you understand this is a victory? So don’t be intimidated by these loud voices, these arrogant hate-filled voices, and push back because there’s no other way for survival other than making sure the narrative remains as it is.
Read related rulings here:
Should Muslims in the West Call for Implementing Shariah?
Abiding by Laws in the West: A Must?
Raising Children in the West: How?
How Should Muslims Settle Their Family Problems in the West?
Almighty Allah knows best.